Think - that is all that is asked of you when attending the latest production in the Theatre X.
"American Breakdown" explores this country's present state of political turmoil. In this context, the theater is used to establish a space in which an inclusive dialogue about today's most burning issues can be created. Topics like corporate scandal and media manipulation are examined in the play.
The Daily Lobo had the privilege of chatting with the director and playwright of "American Breakdown," Eugene Douglas.
Daily Lobo: I am curious to know more about your play.
Gene Douglas: Well, let's get down to the good stuff. The play is "American Breakdown" and it's a play that I wrote and directed. Essentially it is something that I wrote specifically for our community, for our college community and for the Albuquerque community.
I wanted to write a play that would be accessible, and that would be fun for audiences whether they've seen one or whether they've never seen a show before. We use the vernacular, i.e. it's told.
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Rather than being a play, it's a television show. It's two and a half TV shows with one continuous storyline. One half being a wacky, goofy, silly comedy and the other half is kind of a Law and Order courtroom drama.
And we follow the adventures of one character through the whole thing. I just think it's pretty trippy.
One of the reasons why I wanted to make it into a TV format, or a really accessible format, is because I want to discuss some of the issues going on in America and in the world right now.
DL: Like what kinds of things?
GD: Mostly about the corporatization of things, how media saturization and media affect us, how media are intentionally used sometimes to clarify issues or to make us buy things, or to encourage us to live or think a certain way. I didn't want to be boring or stuffy.
DL: So you are using a form of media to convey your ideas and feelings about the media.
GD: (Laughing) Yes. There's a lot of talk in the play about being subversive, not subversive against the government necessarily, but just using something that might be considered exploitative or detrimental for reasons that are non-exploitative and that are helpful and constructive. Again, this play isn't a diatribe against the media and corporations, it's about what we can do in this world that has a positive message. So it's not just wholly critical.
DL: It seems as though you have a close relationship with your actors.
GD: I love my actors. We have fun. Our relationship has been pretty open. They've created the characters and changed some lines where they needed to and helped me realize where there was some lack of logic in the script. It's not really like a boss thing.
DL: What's the most important thing to keep in mind when viewing this piece?
GD: The most important thing to keep in mind about this show is that it's possible to have an open dialogue, even if you disagree with people, in a way that's exciting and invigorating and fun. That's what this play encourages. To interact with ideas and with one another and to work together, no matter what side of the fence we come from, to make things better and to communicate. But really it's just a night of fun theater.
"American Breakdown" is showing Sept. 25-28 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. and October 2-5 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $8 for general admission and $6 for students.
